South Carolina Lawyer Blog

The latest in the litany of voluntary food recalls was announced on Saturday, November 3rd, when General Mills recalled nearly 5 million pizzas after an investigation by federal and state regulators found that the pepperoni topping likely caused several E.Coli related illnesses.

Totino’s and Jeno’s brand pizzas sold between mid-July and mid-October were found to cause illness in 21 people in 10 states. At least eight people were hospitalized with the foodborne illness, E.Coli, which can cause bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps lasting a few days on average. Four of the victims have developed kidney failure, according to a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention statement.

“Eating a Totino’s or Jeno’s brand pizza containing pepperoni was significantly associated with illness.” According to the CDC statement.

General Mills has contended that the recall is little more then a precaution. Sighting that of the 21 cases of illness, only nine people reported having eaten Totino’s or Jeno’s pizzas prior to becoming ill.

“This is a decision of considerable consequence made in the interest of public safety.” General Mills spokesman Tom Forsythe said.

Restaurants, grocery stores, farmers and food manufacturers all have a legal duty to make sure their products are safe to eat. When they fail in that duty, innocent people are sickened through no fault of their own. Items like frozen pizzas are a mainstay in family freezers across the country and a favorite among children and teenagers. The Golden Valley, Minnesota company which manufactured the pizzas has sold about 120 million frozen pizzas nationwide since July 1st. Of that number, about 60 percent included pepperoni.

If you or someone you care about has been seriously injured or killed by someone else's careless attitude toward food safety, you have the right to hold the careless party responsible in court. With almost 50 years of experience, the Louthian Law Firm can help you evaluate your case and file the best possible lawsuit. To preserve your right to a day in court, contact one of our experienced South Carolina foodborne illness attorneys as soon as possible, at 1-866-410-5656, for a free case evaluation.

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7.5 ounce packages of Kroger Smoked Salmon Dip were recalled recently after Georgia inspectors found deadly bacteria in the product’s packaging, according to an Associated Press report.

The product recall affected the states of South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina. The package markings read: “Use By 04 Nov. 2007A LN3”. Kroger officials have asked people to look at the code date on any packages they bought and if it matches the code date above, they should bring it back to their Kroger store for a full refund.

South Carolina Food recalls can be some of the scariest and most wide ranging of product recalls. In this instance, the packaging for the salmon dip contained the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause the disease listeriosis. Listeriosis has been known to cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and premature birth in pregnant women. The company that packaged the product is called House of Thaller Inc., of Knoxville, Tenn. Ironically, Tennessee was not one of the main areas that the recall affected.

If you or someone you care about has been seriously injured or killed by someone else's careless attitude toward food safety, you have the right to hold the careless party responsible in court. With almost 50 years of experience, the Louthian Law Firm can help you evaluate your case and protect your interests. To preserve your right to a day in court, contact one of our experienced South Carolina food recall attorneys as soon as possible, at 1-866-410-5656, for a free case evaluation.

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Barely days after New Jersey-based Topps Meat Company recalled 21.7 million pounds of E. Coli-contaminated ground beef, Cargill Inc. is doing the same, recalling 840,000 pounds of ground beef patties distributed at Sam’s Club stores across the country, which they say are contaminated with E. Coli bacteria. According to an article posted in The State , the recall came after four Minnesota children were sickened by the bacteria after consuming the tainted products.

Two of the children who became ill as a result of the contaminated beef had to be hospitalized, and one still remains in the hospital, according to the news report. All the children became ill between Sept. 10 and Sept. 20, the article stated. The recalled packages were reportedly manufactured on Aug. 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17 and bear the number “Est. 924A” inside the USDA inspection mark. Also, a majority of the contaminated products were the American Chef’s Selection Angus Beef Patties.

Continue reading "E. Coli-Contaminated Beef Sickens Four Children, Spurs Voluntary Recall" »

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Fifty-two students and six employees at The Midlands Math and Business Academy either did not come to school or left early due to illness on Thursday according to an Associated Press report published Friday, September 28th. The students and employees reported suffering from diarrhea, cramping and vomiting.

As of Friday, 25 of the Richland County Charter School students were still absent. The fourth through eighth grade school has no cafeteria but students do eat delivered meals in their classrooms. None of the other schools served by that kitchen are reporting mass absences.

Continue reading "46 Percent of School’s Students Absent From School After Falling Ill" »

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A massive, nationwide beef recall has driven New Jersey-based Topps Meat Co. out of business, but government scientists are still scratching their heads when it comes to pinpointing the source of the E. Coli bacteria that contaminated the company’s ground beef, which reportedly made 32 people ill.

According to an article in The State , even after the company shut down putting 87 people out of their jobs, the investigation goes on. The only information we know is the U.S. Agriculture Department’s finding that Topps’ plant in Elizabeth, N.J., lacked adequate food safety measures to prevent the E. Coli contamination.

What has turned out to be the second largest beef recall in this country’s history – a whopping 21.7 million pounds of ground beef -- has also led to criticism of the U.S. Agriculture department who many believe should have hastened the recall. USDA officials are now saying that they will speed up such recalls and warnings in the future, which is of course too late for the 32 people across eight states who were sickened by the contaminated beef. No deaths have been reported so far.

Continue reading "Massive E. Coli Tainted Beef Recall Shutters Company" »

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As many as 21 people in 8 different states may have fallen ill after eating hamburgers possibly contaminated with E. Coli bacteria, an Associated Press Article reported on Wednesday, September 26th. The company, Topps Meat Company, is the leading U.S. manufacturer of frozen hamburgers.

A spokesperson from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that 3 cases were a result of the ingestion of the ground beef with the other 18 cases possibly linked and under investigation. The confirmed cases occurred in the states of New York and Florida while the cases under investigation were reported in Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Topps Meat Company based out of Elizabeth, N.J. announced a recall of 331,582 pounds of frozen beef patties in 21 different products. The boxes recalled carry the number “EST. 9748” inside the USDA mark of inspection and were produced on June 22, July 12 or July 23. A Topps spokeswoman said officials continue working to find the cause of the contamination.

Continue reading "Leading U.S. Manufacturer of Frozen Hamburgers Orders Recall" »

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It turns out that the ingredients from China which were used to make pet foods in the United States and later found their way into chicken and pig food were not wheat gluten and rice protein after all but seriously contaminated wheat flour according to government investigators.

To further complicate the matter some of the contaminated flour mislabeled as gluten was mixed into fish food in Canada and exported to the United States where it was fed to fish consumed by humans.

This now raises the possibility that some American seafood might contain melamine, the industrial toxin. FDA officials say that they do not know how many U.S. fish farms may have used the tainted feed or what types of fish may have been affected.

The managers from two Beijing companies that exported the contaminated wheat gluten and rice protein have been detained according to the Chinese media. Those managers work for Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company, Ltd. and Binzhou Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd., the two companies which exported the products containing melamine.

If you have been the victim of food poisoning, please contact a South Carolina foodborne illness attorney at Louthian Law Firm immediately for consultation.

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According to the Associate Press and USDA, a meat company is recalling 129,000 pounds of beef products in 15 states because of possible E. coli contamination.

The meat products are made for Gordon Food Service stores by Davis Creek Meats and Seafood. The beef products were made between March 1 and April 30 and were shipped to distribution centers and retailers in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The items which have been recalled include boxes of mechanically tenderized steaks and ground beef of different weights. The boxes are labeled “Est. 1947A”.

Symptoms of E. coli include stomach cramps that may be severe and diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days. If the illness goes unchecked, complications from E. coli may lead to kidney failure.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious illness due to unsafe food handling conditions, contact a South Carolina Food Poisoning Lawyer at Louthian Law Firm, P.A., immediately, even if only for an inquiry as to whether or not you may have a case.

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Federal food safety regulators reported on Tuesday that the level of contaminated animal feed which was consumed by hogs does not pose a risk to humans who eventually consume the meat, and have lifted a quarantine that kept 56,000 hogs from going to slaughter. The hogs, some from South Carolina farms, were being held in quarantine by the USDA while the sources and effects of feed that was tainted with melamine, a compound that is used to make plastics were traced.

Kenneth Petersen of the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service stated, “That meat is safe for human consumption. Therefore, it’s no longer being held on those farms. Melamine does not accumulate in pork and is filtered out of the body by action of the kidneys.” According to the USDA and the FDA, melamine was added to wheat flour before it was imported from China. Both agencies are investigating the contamination in China. Chinese officials have arrested at least one processing plant manager.

The flour from China was mislabeled as wheat gluten and rice protein and then used in pet food. The presence of melamine was discovered in March after thousands of dogs and cats in the United States and Canada became ill or died. Surplus pet food also was sold as hog, chicken and fish feed, which caused concerns about melamine contaminating human food.

The FDA assistant commissioner of food protection said Tuesday that two commercial fisheries that raise fish for human consumption have used the tainted feed. Fish from those facilities, one in Hawaii, the other in Washington State, are being held from market.

Continue reading "USDA finds pork safe to eat despite pigs being fed contaminated feed" »

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Los Angeles Times reporter, Don Lee, reported on Sunday, May 20, 2007 that Mission Foods Corp. and Tyson Foods Inc. are attempting to reject all ingredients that come from China. This is a result of fears which have been created about the safety of imported food ingredients after contaminated wheat products from China killed and sickened cats and dogs in the United States.

What Mission and Tyson want may be next to impossible. China has become the world’s leading supplier of many food flavorings, vitamins and preservatives. Some food additives are available in large quantities only from China.

China exported $2.5 billion of food ingredients to the United States and the rest of the world in 2006. It is now the predominant maker of vanilla flavoring, citric acid and varieties of Vitamin B such as thiamine, riboflavin and folic acid; nutrients which are commonly added to processed flour goods such as Mission tortillas and Tyson breaded chicken. China’s food safety record has been poor. In China, chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides are heavily used. Quality controls barely exist and whatever controls are in place are often eliminated through fraud and corruption.

Major U.S. food manufacturers don’t always know where all their ingredients come from.

Many packaged foods contain dozens of items from around the world, acquired through complex networks of traders and brokers before they reach manufacturing plants where companies exercise more quality control. Laszlo Somogyi, a food sciences authority in California, believes tainted food additives pose a relatively low risk to humans because such ingredients are used in tiny amounts in any particular product. Ingredients made in China are likely found in every aisle of American supermarkets. Of the 39 ingredients in a Hostess Twinkie, at least 6; such as Vitamin B compounds, the preservative sorbic acid and red and yellow colorings, are probably made in China, says Steve Ettlinger, author of the book “Twinkie, Deconstructed.”

Continue reading "Major U.S. Food Manufacturers Reject Ingredients from China" »

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Washington Post writer, Rick Weiss, has reported that approximately 20 million chickens being raised for human consumption ate feed containing melamine and are being held to keep them from entering the food supply according to Agriculture Department officials.
The Agriculture Department called for this voluntary hold pending completion of a government risk analysis to determine whether or not the chickens are safe to eat.
Government officials previously found evidence that as many as 345 pigs and 3 million broiler chickens might have been sold for human food after eating contaminated feed.
Despite the frightening numbers, FDA officials have said that the health risks of eating meat from the animals fed the contaminated materials are very small.
The 20 million live chickens being held were raised for large brand name growers an FDA spokesman said. “These are names you would know.” The agency is not revealing the names at this time.
Since the chickens were being raised for well known brands that were being fed a high quality blend of feed this means that their food had a smaller percentage of pet food mixed in and therefore lower overall doses of melamine, the industrial chemical that was found in mixtures of Chinese wheat gluten and rice protein. These mixtures have been incorporated into more than 100 brands of pet food.
Thousands of pet deaths are currently being investigated for possible links to the contamination and 60 millions packages of pet food have been recalled since March. Initial tests have found no measurable traces of melamine in the chickens which are being held and the birds appear healthy.
The USDA, FDA and EPA are working on a joint risk assessment of eating the chickens. The assessment should be available soon.

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Congress held hearings on Tuesday to examine the future role of the government in protecting food safety. Members of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee met with families affected by the latest epidemic of foodborne illness to discuss federal regulations of the country’s food reserve.

"I can't protect them from spinach — only you guys can. I can't," said Michael Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong and his wife, Elizabeth were accompanied by their daughters Ashley, 3, and Isabella, 5 both of whom had become severely ill after eating a salad made with a bag of leafy greens contaminated by E. coli in September of 2006. During the outbreak, at least two hundred people were known to be infected including 31 people who suffered kidney failure and three deaths as a result of the bacterium.

In February of 2007, Peter Pan brand peanut butter was the focus of a nationwide recall after a salmonella outbreak that causing serious illness to over 425 people. One of those taken ill was Mora Lou Marshall, 85, who has been hospitalized or in a nursing home since she became seriously ill from eating the tainted peanut butter, which she kept on her nightstand to supplement her diet and inadvertently continued to eat after falling ill.

“Food poisonings will happen to you, to me and to our children and our pets," said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the subcommittee. "The American people expect and deserve better from its government."

Bipartisan members of the board voiced agreement with concerns made by the families present and are on board for making changes to the current system. Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado has introduced legislation that would give the FDA and Agriculture Department the authority to mandate recalls. House Connecticut Democrat Rosa DeLauro, chairperson of the Appropriations subcommittee, said the committee is poised to cut off 2008 salaries for the FDA’s top managers in the upcoming spending bill unless officials immediately detail how food inspections, recalls and standards will be improved.

Continue reading "Congress Holds Hearings on Protecting Food Safety" »

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The Associated Press reported on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 that families who have been victimized by tainted spinach and peanut butter appeared before Congress in a plead to the federal government to do more to protect the nations food supply.

Michael Armstrong appeared with his wife Elizabeth and their daughters, Ashley, 2, and Isabella, 5. The two little girls became ill in September after eating a salad made with a bag of spinach contaminated by E. coli.

Gary Pruden, who was joined by his 11 year old son, Sean, also testified. Sean became seriously ill in November with E. coli after eating at a Taco Bell restaurant.

Continue reading "Food Poisoning Victims Tell Their Stories" »

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The State newspaper reported on Thursday, April 26, 2007 that federal and state officials are investigating reports that hogs were given feed that has been contaminated with the chemical melamine.

52 hogs at one small processing plant have been quarantined and another 800 hogs at a farm where contaminated food might have been given to the animals have been identified according to the state veterinarian’s office. The office declined to identify the location of the processing plant or the hog farm.

While traces of melamine were found in hog urine at the farm, the feed tested negative for contamination. State veterinarian Tony Caver stated “no one has determined the significance of finding any detectable levels of melamine in healthy hogs.”

Continue reading "Melamine Found in Urine of South Carolina Hogs" »

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The Associated Press has reported that dog chews marketed by T.W. Enterprises of Ferndale, Washington have been recalled because they may be contaminated with salmonella. People who handle the treats can become infected, especially if they haven’t thoroughly washed their hands after having touched the chews.

Otherwise healthy people who become infected with salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping or fever. Some rare cases of salmonella can result in more serious ailments including bacterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms.

Pets infected with salmonella may be lethargic and have diarrhea, fever or vomiting. Some pets will only have decreased appetites, fever and abdominal pain.

If your dog has suffered from salmonella as a result of a recalled dog chew, please contact a South Carolina foodborne illness attorney at Louthian Law Firm immediately for consultation.

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The Associated Press reported on April 18, 2007 that Natural Balance Pet Foods has recalled 2 types of their pet food after receiving reports that animals were vomiting and experiencing kidney problems.

The recall includes all Venison & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food and Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Food.

The company announced that it is working with the FDA to investigate the matter and is urging consumers not to feed either one of these products to their pets. Just last month Menu Foods recalled 60 million cans of dog and cat food after the deaths of 16 animals (mostly cats) that ate their products. The FDA stated that tests indicated this particular food was contaminated with an industrial chemical known as melamine.

At least 6 pet food companies have recalled products which were made with imported Chinese wheat gluten tainted with melamine.

FDA spokeswoman, Julie Zawisza, stated that the FDA had no reason to believe that the Natural Balance case was related to the problem with melamine.

If your pet was seriously harmed as the result of recalled pet food, please contact a South Carolina pet food recall attorney at the Louthian Law Firm for a free consultation.

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Associated Press writer, Andrew Bridges, reported on April 16, 2007 that only 1.3% of imported fish, vegetables, fruit and other foods are inspected. Food experts say that the United States doesn’t have the resources to ensure that the food which has been imported is safe. Experts go on to say that the nation is vulnerable to harmful foods from abroad where rules and regulations governing food production are often more relaxed than they are at home.

Director of the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety, Mike Doyle, says that “the FDA doesn’t have enough resources or control over this situation presently”. In March 2007 alone, the FDA detained nearly 850 shipments of grains, fish, vegetables, nuts, spices, oils and other imported foods for reasons ranging from filth to unsafe food coloring to salmonella to contamination by pesticides. This is with only 1.3% of imported shipments being inspected. The other 98.7% which is not inspected enters our country for consumption.

The average American eats about 260 pounds of imported food each year, which places many innocent people across the country at risk for serious foodborne illnesses.

An FDA official stated that the globalization of the food supply means the agency is going to have to be more creative and strategic in ensuring its safety. “I’m not quite sure how we are going to do that yet” he said, “except to know that is the direction we are going to be heading.”

If you or a loved one has suffered from food poisoning, please contact a South Carolina foodborne illness attorney at the Louthian Law Firm for a free consultation.

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On February 16, 2007, “The State” Newspaper reported that six people in South Carolina, among almost 300 nationwide, had become sick with salmonella after eating either Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter. Great Value is a Wal-Mart brand.

Peanut butter jars which have lids with a product code beginning “2111” may contain the peanut butter which is contaminated with salmonella. This peanut butter has been recalled by ConAgra Foods and should either be thrown out or returned to ConAgra for a refund.

Symptoms of salmonellosis may include diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, vomiting and dehydration 12-72 hours after becoming infected. The illness usually lasts 4-7 days. Approximately 40,000 people in the United States become sick each year from salmonella poisoning according to the Center for Disease Control. Salmonellosis kills approximately 600 people each year.

If you or someone you know has contracted salmonellosis since August 2006 and you suspect it was a result of eating either Peter Pan or Great Value brand peanut butter beginning with product code “2111” you should contact a South Carolina Personal Injury lawyer to discuss whether or not you may have a claim. At the Louthian Law Firm, you can speak with one of our lawyers for free with no obligation.

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